Pictured above: Ethan landed this big walleye through the ice this week. Walleye, calico and largemouth reports have been strong, and even a few reports of stripers through the ice have come in.
The weather has settled and so has the ice, with most of the snow gone and plenty of ice remaining. Ice options are plentiful, with good walleye, trout and bass catches this week; while open water options picked up in the trout streams and tidal rivers.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the rain from last weekend really helped out the ice anglers, as the snow is gone and the quick temp drop afterward keep most of the ice around. The river took quite a hit, and it may be some time before the coves can safely be accessed, but all of the lakes and ponds in the area are in good shape. The change in weather seems to have helped get the walleye bite going, as strong reports have been coming in from across the state; including a 32-inch beast landed by Ethan Kloehn earlier this week. The pike fishing has been decent, yet not spectacular, at Mansfield Hollow and Bantam; while the smallmouth and trout have been biting well at Candlewood. The upper Housatonic lost most of its ice during the storms, and should be at a fishable level for holdover bass anglers this weekend.
Over at Black Hall Outfitters in Old Lyme, reports from ice anglers have been very good, as a number of local spots that haven’t had much ice over the past few years are now fishable. Walleye, calico and largemouth reports have been strong, and even a few reports of stripers through the ice have come in. We have a bit of a warming trend upcoming, but it shouldn’t be enough to do much damage to the local ice just yet!
At Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Ashley reported that there have been a few scant reports of herring, but overall that fishery has started to slow to a crawl. A number of anglers have been able to get out after holdover bass in the upper Housatonic, with the ice finally lifting; that bite should continue to improve with a warm weekend and dropping water levels. Some of the coves of the river that are still iced over are seeing some bass through the ice, but access has been tough with the high water so take caution. Most ice anglers have been stocking up on bait and heading north or east in search of pike, bass and walleye.
Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford, reports that most of the shelf ice is now off the Farmington River, and the flows are dropping nicely. The rain and snowmelt last week pushed flows up as high as 2,500 cfs, but it was all the way back down to under 500 by early this week. While the river continues to drop, Torrey recommends sticking to the upper Farmington, above the Still River, for the next few days. While nymphing is still the winter mainstay, you have a decent shot at finding some risers in pools like Beaver & Canal. The temps will continue to get milder as we get close to the weekend, and all the slush should be gone from below the Still and through the permanent Catch and Release area.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Matt, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reports that things have been slower on the cod front, but they have still been able to find some action on most trips. They have been able to locate fish on all trips, but at certain points of some days the fish seem to have lockjaw. This is likely a result of the rapid drop in water temperatures during the prolonged cold snap. The fish are there however, and the action should steadily improve as the water slowly warms. Despite the drop in action, there have been quality fish to 15-pounds or so caught on most trips; and with a warm weekend ahead of us, it should be a good weekend to target these fish.
Snug Harbor Marina in Wakefield also reported that the cod fishing off Block has been rather up and down, but most boats are finding some good catches when they can make it offshore. There has been quite a bit of bait on the grounds including mackerel, herring and sand eels, but fresh clams have been the most consistent bait for large cod. There have been a good amount of ling, ocean perch, pollock and haddock on the grounds, which has helped supplement the catch.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that ice enthusiasts from The Ocean State continue to cash in on one of the better seasons we’ve had in a while. Western and northern Massachusetts has good ice on just about all of the lakes and ponds, big and small; while Rhode Island is holding ice on most of the small and moderate sized bodies of water across the state. The perch bite has been strong at most locations, with some good hauls coming in from South County over the past few days. Pike and pickerel action has been steady at Wordens Pond and Stump Pond; while bass, pickerel and perch are being landed consistently at Barbers Pond. RI DEM will be stocking 4,200 brook and rainbow trout for the winter trout season, between January 23rd and 25th. Barber, Carbuncle, Silver Spring and Olney Ponds are a few of the well-known locations that will be receiving trout, and you can check the RIDEM website for a full list of locations.
Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The weather has settled after last week’s torrential rains and extreme warm. The quick cool down has kept most of the lakes and ponds across both states frozen, and this weekend’s mild temperatures should set us up for some great days on the ice. The warm rain also opened up most of our rivers, which should provide some opportunities for trout and holdover striped bass.